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TIL during 1936 Berlin Olympic games, the Nazis ridiculed the US for relying on “non-human black auxiliaries.” American black athlete Jesse Owens went on to win 4 gold medals and beat a German at Long Jump in front of Hitler. Four years after Owens’ death, a street in Berlin was renamed after him.

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ZpLwQ TIL that Brazil in the 30s burned the equivalent of 3 times the annual worldwide consumption of coffee. They chose to burn it instead of selling it cheaply, and managed to cause the price of coffee to rise after the Great Depression. It remains one of the largest supply destructions in history.
rRlQx TIL that in 1999, Philip Morris attempted to convince the government of the Czech Republic that smoking was highly beneficial to the country, as more people would die earlier as a result, thus letting the government save millions on pensions, hospitals, and housing for elderly citizens.
8Y7a TIL that a man who had previously plotted to blow up the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was executed on the same day of the 1995 bombing. He spent his last hours alive watching coverage of the explosion on TV.
R7bj9 TIL, the quietest room in the world measures at -9 dB, and will drive you mad. One reporter lasted up to 45 minutes, and most people leave after half that time, tortured by the eerie sounds of their own body.
4Q8o TIL that in 2018 the city of Chicago is implementing a surveillance system, called Array Of Things, which monitors climate, traffic, pedestrians, and other urban features.